Collin's Birth Story

Wow, I can't believe my little boy is finally here!  :)  You guys, I'm a MOM!!!  How nuts is that?!  Well, I figured I needed to document the details of that long day [well, day + a few hours] before I forget everything...  It was a pretty eventful and dramatic traumatic day for me, and I'm already starting to block some of the events out of my memory, so hopefully I don't forget anything...  Here goes!

After my due date [June 25] came and went, I was scheduled for the one thing that I was praying to avoid--an induction.  Naturally, my doctor told me she'd be out of town that week, but she scheduled me to come in to be induced the evening of Tuesday, July 2nd--exactly one week after my due date.  All day Tuesday I was waiting for that call from Labor & Delivery telling me that they were ready for me to come in, and I finally got that call around 8PM.  Needless to say, I definitely started crying a bit after hanging up with the nurse.  I was so scared to be induced!  I didn't want Pitocin because I've researched the negative effects it can have on a baby, and I was worried that it would end in a C-section.  But hey, this babe needed to come out, and I trust my doctor, so it was go time!

We got to the hospital around 8:30.  Jared and I got settled in our room for the evening [those gowns are kind of a joke to put on, yeah?!  It only took me like 10 minutes to try to figure it out!], and my mom came a bit later, as well as my sister-in-law [and wonderful photographer!] Tanelle.  They began the induction by giving me a small dose of Cytotec in the form of a tiny pill that I let dissolve in my mouth.  This started my contractions soon after.  After the nurse checked my cervix, unfortunately I was still dilated to about a 1 1/2 and effaced at about 50%--same as I had been a week prior at my last doctor's appointment.  Blah.  I was really disappointed.  Around 2AM, I was only dilated to a 3 and apparently wasn't moving fast enough, so they gave me the wonderful pleasure of having Foley balloons put in.  Holy...  Someone shoot me!  If you aren't privileged enough to know what these bad boys are, just Google it.  I don't even want to think about it.  Anyways, soon after I had been enjoying that wonderful experience, my nurse saw how ecstatic I was about it and asked me if I wanted something for the pain.  Obviously, I just nodded.  I assumed she was just going to give me something in my IV, but next thing I know, she's buzzing for the anesthesiologist asking for an epidural.  But hey, who was I to refuse that?!

At 3AM, the anesthesiologist, AKA my Savior, came and helped me out a bit.  He was such a nice guy, and if you know me at all, you know that this was my biggest fear about giving birth--the big needle going into my spine!  But honestly, I didn't feel a single thing.  What the...?!  I felt a tiny little pinch when he numbed the skin around it, but I didn't feel even a single touch when he gave me the actual epidural!  He was heaven-sent!  I was peachy-keen after that  :)  Well... At least for a while!

Luckily, we got some sleep that night...  some.  The next morning, the nurse checked my cervix again and I was dilated to a 4, almost 5.  Thank goodness those dang balloons were doing their job!  At that point, they were finally able to take those suckers out.  Within an hour and a half, I went from a 4+ to a 7, and I thought for sure things would go quickly from then on out!  But I stayed at a 7 for quite a while.  My contractions were regular, within 2 to 1 1/2 minutes apart, but I wasn't dilating anymore.  And at some point around this time, I started throwing up.  Every time they rolled me over to my other side or gave me some more Penicillin for the lovely Strep B, I'd throw up.  How fun was that!  And since I wasn't dilating anymore, they gave me my first dose of Pitocin  :(  Very soon after, sweet Boy's heart rate started plummeting with every contraction I had.  I had a few contractions that lasted about 5 minutes, and the doctor compared that to the baby having to hold his breath for that long.  Uh, not okay  :(  So after only a few minutes of being on Pitocin, they took me right back off it. 

Finally, sometime Wednesday evening, I reached a 10!  The on-call doctor came [Dr. Ponder, who was wonderful!] and broke my water.  I felt and heard a little pop, but no big deal.  Probably about an hour later, she came back and checked to see how my baby was facing.  Unfortunately he was face-up, which would make delivery challenging, especially since his heart rate would occasionally drop.  She then told me about the chances of a C-section--that if I couldn't get him to roll over without his heart rate dropping, that would be our only option.  Naturally, after she left the room, the hysteria began.  I'm sure a lot of it were the hormones, but I was just sobbing!  I was so worried about my little man, and I was absolutely petrified of having to have a C-section.  I couldn't stop crying... I think part of me must have known what was coming. 

My doctor came back and said that I was going to start trying to push while she tried to rotate him.  A few minutes earlier, I had felt the urge to push, but then my nurse gave me more of my epidural, and now I didn't feel anything!  So pushing was really hard.  I pushed for maybe about 5 minutes and then I had to stop because his heart rate plummeted again.  They rolled me on my right side [where Baby seemed to enjoy it most] and I hung out for about an hour until his heart rate stabilized.  Then the doctor told me we were going to try it one more time, and that I'm going to have to push as hard as I possibly can.  If it doesn't work, we'll have to get him out as soon as possible...  AKA, C-section. 

I have never tried for something so hard in my life, but after only a few minutes of pushing, next thing I know, the anesthesiologist is back, giving me 2-3 more doses of my epidural while he, my doctor, and several nurses are literally running me down the hall to the operating room.  I am so, so grateful that I didn't see the heart rate monitor and that no one said anything to me, but apparently while I was pushing, my baby's heart rate went from around 155 to 50 in a matter of seconds.  But I had no idea what was going on, just that there was an emergency, and the doctor kept yelling at the nurses about his heart rate.  I was just sobbing the entire time!  Holy, drama!!!  Luckily Jared was in the room with me just a minute later.  The anesthesiologist kept asking me if I could feel him doing who-knows-what to my stomach, and I'd just shake my head wondering what on earth he was doing.  It was horrifying being able to feel them push around on my stomach like they were just tearing me apart--on top of not knowing what was happening to my little boy!  Crazy Jared watched the whole thing, and I could see the reflection of pure red in his eyes.  Grossss...  Oh, and all this while I'm throwing up, trying not to drown in it...  ;)  Thought you'd appreciate that detail.

Miraculously, from the time they wheeled me out of my delivery room to the time my little boy was born was a whopping 7 minutes.  Talk about an emergency!  Through the chaos, I heard this little whine and then everyone started asking if I heard him cry.  His little head poked above the curtain and of course I started crying even harder  :)  Literally the most terrifying and happiest day of my entire life! 

They rushed him off to check him while they sewed me back together, and a few minutes later, I hear a nurse yelling "9 pounds, 5 ounces!!!"  I just died.  All I wanted was a fat little baby, and, well, I got one!  :)  Thank goodness for the option of C-sections, I honestly don't think that little boy would've come out any other way! 

I am so beyond grateful for modern medicine.  Thanks to the absolutely wonderful doctors and nurses [who were so concerned and kind the entire time], I have a healthy, beautiful, chubby little boy!  Turns out, my placenta had torn away from my uterus and had caused a lot of bleeding...  I assume that has something to do with the dramatic turn of events.  I've thought a lot since then about what would have happened to us if it were 100 years ago.  I'm sure either me or my baby [or both] wouldn't have made it.  I can't express how grateful I am for the way things turned out.  Yes, it was rough, and extremely traumatizing, but I have the sweetest little boy to show for it, and we're both healthy!  That's all I could ask for.  I am beyond grateful to my incredible husband.  He was so comforting and so sweet, I literally could not have gone through that without him.

Well folks, here he is!  After 26 hours of labor, two attempts at pushing, and under 7 minutes of an emergency C-section, my sweet little boy is here!!! 

[photo cred's go to my wonderful sister-in-law, Tanelle!  You're amazing, thank you for capturing this moment for us!]

Collin Jared Wilburn

Wednesday, July 3, 2013

10:25PM

9 pounds, 5 ounces

21.5 inches long

We love you sweet Collin boy!  Thank you for joining our little family, we are so beyond blessed to have you in our lives.  I'm so excited to be your Momma!  xoxo